“If you want some raw bar, a pan roast and some great NYC history, it’s a great place. The raw bar variety is outstanding and it’s super fresh. I wouldn’t get the main courses frankly. Very plain.”
H3
6.0/10American
AI-generated summary
Sit at the lunch counter and get and the . The and the get the same love. The common advice is to skip the rest of the kitchen, people say the main courses are plain and overpriced. Some also get shell fragments in their raw , and the often arrives warm.
NYC classic — The restaurant opened in 1913 alongside Grand Central Terminal itself, originally as the Grand Central Terminal Restaurant, beneath the vaulted Guastavino-tiled ceilings that still define it. A fire briefly closed it in 1997, and in 1999 owner Jerome Brody sold it to its employees to preserve their union representation. Wikipedia
“If you want some raw bar, a pan roast and some great NYC history, it’s a great place. The raw bar variety is outstanding and it’s super fresh. I wouldn’t get the main courses frankly. Very plain.”
H3
“I like the Oyster Bar, but you gotta, gotta eat at the lunch counter and avoid the table-service section. One of the classic joys of NYC is an oyster pan roast, half a dozen Blue Points, and a Guinness at the lunch counter. If I'm in a funk and find myself free in Midtown around lunchtime, it's a treat.”
H3
“The seafood options besides the oysters are forgettable and honestly gross. We took out of towners there a few weeks ago and were embarrassed by how bad (and expensive) it was.”
H3
“Not only do they do what they do very, very well, but they also do it better than most similar restaurants around the country. It’s delicious.”
H3
“They have a great selection of oysters but something that really annoys me is they’re never properly shucked. Every single time, I get fragments of shell in my mouth and the oysters are still partially stuck to the shell.”
H3
“I love the Oyster Bar - been there 30-40 times. There is something about sitting at the counter, ordering up a couple dozen oysters, getting a pan roast, a bloody mary or glass or prosecco, and just soaking in the entire experience. Makes me happy. Makes the rest of the world disappear.”
H3
“I love GCOB but I had clam chowder there a couple weeks ago and it was a bowl of thickened cream with one scrap of clam, one large piece of onion, and exactly two pieces of potato.”
H3
“The selection of oysters is excellent. I’m in East Coast oyster guy. They have really good oysters that are nice and briny. The clam chowder is excellent”
H3
“The fish (sole) was well cooked but the rest of the dish was very underwhelming. Service was very slow, it took almost 2 hours to get out of there, when we had an 11:45 reservation.”
H3
“Overrated. They don’t even shuck their oysters properly (always bits of shell in it and the meat isn’t fully detached from the shell).”
H3
“Good raw bar. I go when they have fresh raw herring flown in, usually during June. It is a cool room. The cooked stuff isn't the best in my opinion but they will have a great oyster selection.”
H3
“my oysters Rockefeller were good but the raw order I received was the worst shuck I’ve ever had. Shell fragments in every single oyster.”
H3